Mission to China

A successful mission to China has helped to underline the potential in the remanufacturing market in that country and the UK’s world-leading credentials.

20 October 2016

It is estimated that remanufacturing – the process of embedding value in products by returning them to full working order, rather than allowing them to become waste at the end of their life – could be worth up to £15 billion a year in China. This not only represents a massive business opportunity but can also have a major impact on lowering CO2 emissions.

The mission, backed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy was led by Dr Yan Wang from the University of Brighton who said: “Remanufacturing has gained increasing attention in the UK and has the potential to grow to up to 10 percent of manufacturing turnover. But the present ratio of remanufacturing to new manufacturing is still low both here and across the EU.

Dr Yan Wang

“The problems in growing remanufacturing in China are the same as they are here – poor perceptions of remanufactured products, lack of global standards and management of the global supply chain. All of these issues could be tackled at a global level and this study has shown that there are huge potential areas of collaboration between the UK and China, especially in a post-Brexit world.”